The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from a sincere faith. Some people have strayed from these things and have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.”

—1 Timothy 1:5–7

Many Christian leaders seem more interested in proving themselves right than in discipling souls, but we should all be more interested in transforming hearts than we are in satisfying pride.

So before we speak instruction, let’s ask ourselves a few questions.

Are we speaking from love? Is it from a sincere desire to help the other person, or do we feel disdain for them even as we speak?

Do we have a pure heart and a good conscience? Is there some secret sin we haven’t confessed, some area we haven’t submitted to God, or some work of the Lord we’re resisting? If so, it’s better to stay silent until we’ve given the Lord full rein in our lives.

Do we have a sincere faith not only speaking but also living out the Lord’s instructions?

Could the conversation fall into the category of fruitless discussion? Will the outcome have an impact in the eternal kingdom of God, or are we just trying to prove a point without the wisdom of the Holy Spirit?

Asking these questions would prompt thoughtful, kind discussion rather than heated debates that spark division. It would nurture a chance at becoming the body of Christ working in unity and loving one another fervently as we’re charged in the Bible.

Before giving instruction, we should always look for purity and sincerity in our hearts, our conscience, and our faith.

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